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Give over, Darting
Page 3
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Thanks for nothing, Chancetor. If anyone thinks Alistair Darting has done them a favour on the planned 2p/litre duty increase, they need to wake up and smeLl the diesel.
All he's done is postpone (note that word) not cancel, forget or dump it. It's still hanging over our heads, aLbeit until next year. So why delay the rise? Because it's a difficult decision, and right now, this Government is increasingly loath to take any difficult decision especially if it's one the Great BrAish Public won't like. And it's the Great British Public that's got the Chancellor running scared not, sadly, the road hauliers.
Having become wedded to high fuel taxes and VED increases to pay for its holy trinity of health, education and welfare, it's abundantly clear the Treasury is only taking a breather The best advice we can offer is to brace yourself for some major rises in both levies, come the 2009 Budget.
Deciding not to implement the 2p/litre duty increase will apparently 'cost' the Government E550m a year How sad. Only don't feel too bad because, according to Oil and Gas UK, which represents North Sea producers, the rocketing price of oil has already produced a C15bn [yes, El 5 BILLION) tax windfall for the Government, a figure based on duty, oil taxes and the increased VAT. Nice work if you can get it.
We certainly echo the sentiment of Road Haulage Association (RHA) chairman Andy Boyle that the decision is little more than political common sense, rather than any kind of victory for the \ industry. And, as such, it's now time, in Boyle's words,
\to get down to "the main event". That means \ persuading the Treasury to agree to introduce \ a Eurovignette, closing the price gap between diesel and petrol and winning an Essential User Rebate. Those are worth cheering.
Not some petty-fogging postponement of a 2p/litre duty increase when the price of diesel continues to rise. Do us a favour... Brian Weatherley